This invention relates in general to vehicle wheels and, in particular, to a method and apparatus for producing a wheel cover and a vehicle wheel including such a wheel cover.
Full or partial vehicle wheel covers of the removable type are well known and have been used for many years to enhance the styling of conventional, stamped wheel discs. Also, it is known to permanently secure a full or a partial wheel cover to a vehicle wheel using a suitable type of an adhesive.
One example of a vehicle wheel construction wherein a wheel cover is permanently secured to a wheel by an adhesive is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,595,423 to Heck et al. In the Heck et al. patent, the wheel cover includes an outer end which is disposed in a groove formed in an outer peripheral end of the outboard tire bead seat retaining flange such that the cover covers the entire portion of the outer peripheral end of the outboard tire bead seat retaining flange.